Brandt Snedeker on top at RBC Canadian Open, second-round leader Hunter Mahan withdraws after wife goes into labour

Brandt Snedeker reacts after missing a birdie putt on the 17th hole during third-round play at the Canadian Open in Oakville, Ont., on Saturday, July 27, 2013.

Photograph by: Nathan Denette
, The Canadian Press

Oakville, Ont. — It’s hard to know how official PGA Tour history will record the performance of Hunter Mahan at this year’s RBC Canadian Open.Mahan, Hunter: WD (wife)Or maybe the descriptor will be “baby” or “labour.” Whatever the decision for posterity, Mahan’s departure from Glen Abbey before the start of his third round, despite holding a two-shot lead in the tournament, was by far the biggest thunderbolt on a day in which play was interrupted by storm activity.Mahan, who was at 13-under after a mistake-free 64 on Friday, was on the driving range in a slight drizzle on Saturday when he took a cellphone call. His wife, Kandi, had gone into labour with the couple’s first child at their home in Dallas. Mahan withdrew from the tournament, and the chance at a million-dollar paycheque, shortly thereafter.Mahan’s sudden trip to Texas handed the overnight lead to John Merrick, the little-known Californian who was at 11-under after a 62 on Friday. But, playing by himself in the final pairing — he declined the offer of a non-competing playing partner that would have kept his group at a normal pace — Merrick bogeyed three of his first four holes to fall well off the pace.Bubba Watson, who was in third place at 9-under after two rounds, also started poorly and had dropped two shots — and 15 spots on the leaderboard — by the time he finished his front nine. That indifferent play from the leaders, and the absence of one, left room for a number of Saturday charges from some of the tournament’s biggest names.Brandt Snedeker took advantage of rain-softened fairways and greens to shoot 63 for a three-round total of 14-under. He moved up 15 spots on Saturday and will begin the final round with a one-shot lead over Sweden’s David Lingmerth. “With the way everything flipped and Hunter leaving, I have a great shot to win the tournament,” said Snedeker, who said that Mahan was playing so well that he was going to be tough to catch. “The leaderboard is wide open now.”Fellow American star Matt Kuchar shot 64 to sit at 12-under through three rounds. He moved up 24 spots on the day. And another U.S. Ryder Cup team member, Dustin Johnson, eagled his 18th hole for a 63 that put him at 11-under for the tournament. The big-hitting South Carolinian began the day 11 shots back of Mahan. When it ended, Johnson was three off the lead.He said he didn’t know about Mahan’s withdrawal until he walked off the green on 18.“I know it’s one of those situations where you probably wouldn’t expect him to have to leave. But sometimes that’s just how it works,” Johnson said.“It’s a good thing that he’s going just because he’s having his first kid,” Johnson said. “Obviously there’s no reason why he wouldn’t go, and obviously prayers go out and hopefully everything goes all right.”It was a common refrain as the players came in and shed their rain gear.“I really hope Kandi is OK and the baby is OK,” said Kuchar. “Hunter right now is playing some of the best golf in the world. It kind of gives the rest of a chance right now with him not in the field. Kuchar said of Mahan, who was in the final pairing at the U.S. Open and the British Open, “I think we all expected him to just increase his lead and continue playing some really good golf.”Snedeker, a father of two, said he didn’t look at a leaderboard until the 17th hole, when he realized Mahan’s name was missing. His caddy told him about the unexpected labour — and the unexpected window.In early play on Saturday, David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., shot a 4-under 68 to get to 5-under for the week. Brad Fritsch of Ottawa withdrew due to a bad back, and posted a message to his Twitter account that said he couldn’t describe his emotions. Calgary’s Roger Sloan was even-par 72 on Saturday to remain at 2-under for the tournament. Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont., was 4-under when he teed off on Saturday and could only manage a 1-over 73 to finish at 3-under, meaning the streak of national opens without a victorious Canadian will continue for at least another year. Pat Fletcher won the tournament in 1954.Hearn, who had to birdie his last three holes on Friday to make the cut, kept the momentum going on Saturday.“I birdied the first hole, so I just kept it rolling,” Hearn said. “I thought, ‘this is good.’ We’ll just keep it going as long as I can. Weir, who called his round “kind of adventurous and not very profitable at all, said of the departing leader, “I didn’t even know his wife was pregnant. All the best to him for sure.”It was a storyline that has echoes of the 1999 U.S. Open, when Phil Mickelson, without a major win at the time, vowed to leave Pinehurst, despite being in contention, if he was alerted that his wife was in labour. He famously carried a beeper in his pocket, it being several years before smartphones.Mickelson never had to leave, though, meaning Mahan’s decision stands alone.Score one for fatherhood.

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